A South Carolina death row inmate set to be executed this week has explained why he chose such a brutal method of execution.
Brad Sigmon was sentenced to death in 2002 for the brutal murders of his ex-girlfriend Rebecca Barbre’s parents.
He killed David and Gladys Larke by beating them with a baseball bat inside their Greenville County home.
Prosecutors say he then kidnapped Rebecca at gunpoint, but she escaped his car as he attempted to shoot her – missing his target.
In addition to receiving two death sentences, Sigmon also received a 30-year prison term for first-degree burglary. Despite numerous appeals over the years, his conviction has been upheld, and his execution is now imminent.
Sigmon will face execution on Friday, March 7. He has chosen to be put to death by a firing squad, making him the first person in the state’s history to die by this method.
South Carolina law allows death row inmates to select between the electric chair, a lethal injection, or a firing squad. If no choice is made, execution defaults to the electric chair.
Sigmon’s attorney, Gerald ‘Bo’ King, explained his client’s reasoning, stating that avoiding the electric chair was a priority because it would “burn and cook him alive,” per NBC News. “But the alternative is just as monstrous.”
Sigmon also ruled out lethal injection after witnessing the prolonged suffering of three other inmates executed in South Carolina since September.
“If he chose lethal injection, he risked the prolonged death suffered by all three of the men South Carolina has executed since September – three men Brad knew and cared for – who remained alive, strapped to a gurney, for more than twenty minutes,” he explained.
With both other options carrying horrific risks, Sigmon settled on the firing squad – but not without deep apprehension.
“Brad has no illusions about what being shot will do to his body,” King said. “He does not wish to inflict that pain on his family, the witnesses, or the execution team. But, given South Carolina’s unnecessary and unconscionable secrecy, Brad is choosing as best he can.”
According to The New York Post, Sigmon will be strapped to a chair, his head covered by a hood, and a target placed over his heart.
Three volunteer shooters will then fire from 15 feet away through a small opening in the death chamber wall.
South Carolina Supreme Court rejects Brad Sigmon’s final appeal, clearing way for firing squad executionhttps://t.co/7mDJqeDLar pic.twitter.com/Glt7ZsyflO
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) March 6, 2025
Firing squad executions are rarely used in the US, with the last one occurring 15 years ago.
South Carolina’s return to the practice highlights ongoing debates over the ethics of capital punishment, particularly as lethal injection drugs become harder to obtain.
